City, College, School District Talk Issues

By Teresa Rochester

No one can really remember the last time representatives of Santa Monica's three most influential institutions sat down at a table to talk issues.

But that's exactly what representatives from the City, Santa Monica College and the Santa Monica/Malibu Unified School District did Wednesday afternoon before a handful of residents at the district's headquarters. And by the end of the meeting - where issues ranged from school vouchers to sharing facilities --, participants were pulling out their calendars to schedule their next meeting.

Called the Liaison Committee, the group consists of the City's mayor, a council member, the city manager, SMMUSD's superintendent, the Board of Education's president and vice president, SMC's president and members of the Board of Trustees.

In recent months the calls for a joint meeting have grown louder. Earlier this year parents and residents urged representatives of the City and school district to meet after the district turned to the City for help when it faced potential multi-million dollar shortfalls. In May, SMC officials shocked City officials with a proposal that calls in part for the City to provide $18 million annually to the college and school district.

Instead of the sometimes tense and combative nature that has colored some previous meetings between the parties, Wednesday's meeting was cordial, as representatives munched on crackers and melon and discussed their respective budgets. The agendized budget discussion served as springboard for ideas to tackle in the future.

"Maybe we could do a good discussion on distance learning," SMC President Dr. Piedad Robertson suggested, referring to education programs offered via telecommunications. "How the college and district could collaborate in distance learning."

Along with distance learning, the group agreed that the most pressing issue is a proposition on November's ballot for school vouchers that would allow parents to pick schools, either public or private, for their children to attend.

"Vouchers. That's going to have a tremendous impact on education," said Robertson, who added that the college would likely have a public debate on the issue.

Todd Hess, president of the Board of Education, urged the group to work together as a team to educate the public about the proposition. Hess also urged the three entities to discuss potential joint use opportunities.

"Since I was elected to the board, I've been interested in how we could cooperate better in some sort of joint power way," said Hess. "Maybe maintenance could be underwritten for the use of space. What's the most economic and reasonable way to bring services to our community and fully utilize these plants."

Representatives also plan to discuss more partnership possibilities. Currently the college provides after school instruction in the city's high schools. The City not only gives annual grants to the school district, it also helps fund childcare and the city's lifelong learning program. The city and the college also partner on the municipal swimming pool on SMC's main campus.

The next meeting of the Liaison Committee is scheduled for August 23.